Nothing had changed since the previous month. That’s how much time had passed since he had the training session with the staff. Reo still carried it around, as it was guild for building strength, but he had found he preferred to use his fists and legs in battle compared to the staff. So, even when it was weapons training, Reo opted to fight with his hands and feet.
Something miraculous happened whenever he made this shift. He began to win. He was even winning against people that went toe to toe with him with the weapons. It seemed that he was far better with his hands. Of course, his parents were thrilled to hear this.
“Son! I’m glad you finally decided to try Taijutsu! We always told you that the staff was meant for strength building only.” Mai Gojisou cried out enthusiastically. Mai was his mother. She stood about average height and was tone for a woman. Despite this, she could defeat most male Ninjas in straight taijutsu – even Reo’s father. His Father was good at Taijutsu but his mother was too fast for him. She had won 98 out of 100 duels with him. That was impressive considering he was part of the Fuin Gojisou branch of the Clan. The same Clan that specialized in Taijutsu. Technically speaking, his mother was part of the clan as well. She was considered an Outsider member of the clan due to not being born into it. It would have been weird for two pure bred members of the clan to marry and have children. That’d be like marrying your cousin, which was gross.
“I enjoyed the staff.” Reo said casually as he picked at his breakfast. Eggs, a glass of milk, and some strawberries. A healthy breakfast, as always. Reo actually didn’t mind this. He enjoyed eating eggs and the protein they gave helped him build muscle. The fruit provided healthy sugars which would keep him energetic throughout the day. Many people underestimated the importance of sugar in the morning. Without it, one wouldn’t have the necessary energy to train properly. The milk provided healthy fats, which was also important in daily functioning. Plus, milk tasted good.
“Why, yes, dear but we are a family of Taijutsu specialists. Striking your own path is good and all but it seems that Taijutsu is in your blood.” His mother said with a smile. Her auburn hair was up in a bun. She said it was unwomanly to shave her head, as Reo and his father did, and that she would wear it in a bun instead. Reo always found that to be ridiculous. They were ninjas. A woman could do whatever a man could. However, everytime his mother said it she had a twinkle in her eye. Reo was pretty sure his mother knew it was ridiculous. She just didn’t want to shave her head.
“I know…but, the staff felt good in my hands. My body always felt more sore after swinging it.” Reo said with a sigh as he took the last bite of eggs. He paused and finished his milk before speaking again. “I’m not stupid, though. I’ll train my Taijutsu. I’m not going to ignore a skill that makes me strong enough to beat someone else who is using weapons.”
His mother nodded encouragingly at that. “That’s a good choice, son. Plus, the staff is designed to work your muscles more than normal punches. It’s weighted, after-all. Would you like to spar before heading to the Academy?”
Reo smirked at that and stood up. “Should I use the staff?”
“No, not this time. This time, you should use your Taijutsu.” His mother said with a comforting smile. She began to lead Reo into the room with the sparring dummy. There was an empty mat in front of it upon which they would spar. His mother would go easy on him. She was a Chuunin, but her Taijutsu skills were easily Jounin level. She just wasn’t at good at some of the other skills and so had trouble advancing past Chuunin. Though, she was going to test for Jounin soon. That was why she wasn’t on a mission today like she had been a month ago. She was supposed to be prepping for the exam.
Once they were in place, Reo dashed inwards – intending to land a solid punch on his mother. They normally ended it if he could get a solid hit in – though this was the first time he used Taijutsu instead of his novice Bojutsu skills. She caught the fist in her hand.
“You need to be more subtle. So many people think Taijutsu is about hitting the hardest or being the fastest. That’s not it, son. It’s about subtlety. Any mediocre Taijutsu practitioner can predict the movements of a faster opponent and catch them regardless of their speed. So, be more subtle. Don’t let me see where you are swinging.” She said as she let his hand go. Reo heard her, but it wasn’t exactly easy to do. So, he did his best.
The fight continued in that manner for some time. Reo threw a hit, she would dodge or catch it. Sometimes his mother would give a short retaliatory hit. Nothing hard. But, all good things must come to an end; in this case, they came to an end because it was time for Reo to go to the Academy.
The walk to the academy was much the same as always. Hot. Dry. Desert-esque. Well, not even esque. It was a desert. Reo was excited today, though. He had never done that well sparring his mother before. Plus, he wanted to try her advice out on less skilled individuals. Not in a bullying way, but in a test his skills on people his own level way.
Reo went into the classroom and experienced roughly the same environment. Not cold but not warm. It was indifferent. That was fine. Reo would just devote himself to his studies. He didn’t need friends, anyway. Plus, this couldn’t dampen the mood he was in.
However, the Academy Instructor found something that would dampen his mood.
“No sparring today. Today we work on our dexterity. Today, we race!”
[Training Completed for today. Not gonna say "Exit" because it may be easier to just continue in one thread since I'll be posting again tomorrow...Anyway. Gonna get rewards for today.]
Trained: Dexterity X 8
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